When I Am Playing with My Cat, How Do I Know That She Is Not Playing with Me?: Montaigne and Being in Touch with Life

In the year 1570, at the age of 37, Michel de Montaigne gave up his job as a magistrate and retired to his château to brood on the deaths of his best friend, his father, his brother, and his firstborn child. But over time his writings turned from a philosophy of death to one of life, finding consolation in the most unlikely places—the touch of a hand, the smell of his doublet, the flavor of his wine, and the playfulness of his cat.

"Ingenious…. Passionately written and full to bursting with digressions and anecdotes, [Saul] Frampton's book does an excellent job of bringing Montaigne and his historical context to life. It is this vivid evocation of the time that emerges as the book's greatest strength. We see how the philosopher's celebration of daily life ... went against not only the dominant philosophical currents of the day but also the violent upheavals of 16th-century France. What comes through the strongest is an inspiring sense of the philosopher's remarkable independence of thought and enduring relevance."—Sunday Times (London)